Lineoftype is on the right track, in terms of how the job figures were calculated. They are based roughly on the number of jobs currently dependent on the port directly or indirectly, which project supporters say would increase in relation to the additional cargo that would put into the port onboard those big, post-Panamax once the bridge project is completed.
The port-dependant jobs figures are published by the Port Authority of NY&NJ, and typically cited by the PA and likeminded port stakeholders to justify spending on port projects.
Whether those figures are realistic is another issue, and one not addressed by the article. One issue the story did try to address, however, was who should pay for the bridge project, tollpayers or the shipping industry? I'd like to hear some opinions on that issue.
Thanks for reading.
-SS

As any reporter would be, I'm delighted to see such spirited debate over such an important and compelling subject.
The issue of Ms. Knox's First Amendment rights versus her responsibilities as a public school teacher is certainly a fascinating one, obviously with strong views on either side.
Maybe of more immediate importance, at least as a practical matter for Ms. Knox, her students, colleagues and the broader school community, is whether her Facebook comments were in accord with Union's policy on communications by staff, whether it be on or off school property, during work hours or otherwise. The Star-Ledger does not (yet) have a copy of that policy, but the district's chief administrator, Patrick Martin, has assured us that it does address the issue at hand, if not Facebook specifically. And, Mr. Martin said, whether Ms. Knox violated that policy is a focus of the investigation.
Thanks for your comments, and please keep reading.
-SS

Joiseyborn got it right about the reason the TSA is demanding financial information for security clearance reviews. The TSA and other agencies don't want employees who somehow end up in such dire financial straits that they're willing to take a bribe from a terrorist.
As one national security official put it: "It is common practice across the government to include an individual's finances as part of a security clearance to help determine someone's financial stability and susceptibility to exchange security sensitive information for monetary gain."
Thanks for reading.